Thursday, October 28, 2010

"Jet Man" to Set Flight Record Over English Channel

Tomorrow Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, aka the Jet Man, is slated to attempt to rocket into the history books by becoming the first person to fly across the English Channel using a single, jet-propelled wing attached to his back.

On live television, Rossy will jump from a plane about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) above Calais, France, unfold his wing, fire up the jets, and attempt to cross the 20 miles (32 kilometers) over water to Dover, England (see map).

The machine should propel him at about 118 miles (190 kilometers) an hour, making it a 12- to 15-minute trip.

Failure is not an option, as the Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and Rossy's jet pack is not designed for landing on water.

"He will be wearing a fireproof flight suit [and] 120 pounds [54 kilograms] of wings, fuel, engines, and parachutes, so staying afloat for any length of time could be difficult," said Tom Benson, an aeronautical engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.